Home buying TV shows always tell you the price of a home and then show you the people living in it happily — they often leave out the difficult and sometimes expensive costs new home owners are surprised with. Remember to budget for them so you’re not caught off guard.
Photo by inxti (Shutterstock)
Finance blog Get Rich Slowly points out there are a number of costs that new home owners will almost likely have to deal with as soon as they move into their brand new multi-hundred-thousand dollar home that may not be immediately apparent, especially if you’re still reeling from having signed a mortgage for an obscene amount of money. For example, the first thing you’ll probably want to do when you move in is get the locked changed — there’s often no telling who has a key to your house.
Similarly, most people don’t think about the costs involved with lawn care and landscaping until they have already owned a home that had those requirements. If you find a house you love because of its big yard and tall trees, remember you’ll either have to mow and trim the lawn and trees yourself, or hire someone to do it for you. You should also be ready for interior costs as well — things like window treatments and drapes for all the windows you suddenly have. Moral of the story: Keep some of that money you saved as a down payment in the bank (or save specifically for new household costs) to take care of those kinds of things — they almost always crop up when you move into a new home.
8 Surprise Expenses for New Homeowners [Get Rich Slowly]
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